The state Education Department is looking into the reason three Oklahoma school districts went over the legal limit for administrative costs.

While state workers continue to investigate, one thing is certain: All cases are related to superintendent salaries.

State law limits how much school districts can spend on administrative costs, such as superintendents, secretaries and consultants.

The law exists to protect students, said Joel Robison, chief of staff for the state Education Department.

“The desire is to get as much money into the classroom as possible for instructional purposes,” Robison said.

The districts with excessive amounts are:

Cameron, in Le Flore County, $58,000 because of a superintendent contract buyout.

Thackerville, in Love County, $29,000 because of a superintendent contract buyout.

Farris, in Atoka County, $10,000 because of superintendent salary.

Last month, the state Board of Education asked Nancy Hughes, the executive director of financial accounting, and her team to investigate what is going on in each of the districts. Hughes said that inquiry continues. The board is expected to revisit the issue at its next board meeting, which will be Jan. 31.

If a district spends too much on administration, the board has the right to withhold the amount of excess from state aid to that district the next year, Hughes said.

State law outlines how much a school district can spend on administrative costs depending on how many students attend that district, Hughes said.

Districts with 500 or fewer students can spend 8 percent of the budget on administrative costs. Districts with 501 to 1,500 students can spend up to 7 percent. Districts with more than 1,500 students are limited to 5 percent.